First photo of Zhang Zhan’s court trial revealed (Photo credit: Twitter)
Wang Jianhong, a longtime rights activist, tweeted photos of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan during her trial on Feb. 5, saying that Zhang was as thin as a bone and was strapped into a wheelchair for the trial.
Wang posted two photos of Zhang Zhan during her trial and wrote, “She was forced to be strapped into the courtroom. The wheelchair she was in had a very wide strap around the back tied around her waist to prevent her from moving around. She was handcuffed.”
Wang Jianhong also mentioned that Zhang Zhan’s mother told the media that she was saddened to see her daughter, who was as thin as a bone, appearing in court in a wheelchair. “Zhang Zhan was facing the judge, we sat behind her and could not see her face. She had no spirit, and the person was so thin that she was skin and bones.”
Apple Daily obtained confirmation from Zhang Zhan’s defense lawyer Zhang Keke that the photo was indeed taken during the trial. Zhang Keke disclosed that Zhang Zhan is still in custody at the Shanghai Pudong New Area Detention Center. Due to the current Epidemic, Zhang Zhan’s mother last saw her daughter on the 13th of last month, and she was unable to visit her daughter at the detention center during the traditional Chinese New Year.
According to previous media reports, Zhang Zhan had been on hunger strike for seven months before the trial. Zhang Keke told Deutsche Welle the day after the trial (Dec. 29, 2020), “Zhang Zhan’s current hunger strike has not stopped, and she may continue her hunger strike in the future, so I hope all sectors will continue to pay attention to her health condition and appeal for her.”
Zhang Keke said that Zhang Zhan was inside the courtroom and only told the judge, “Your court hearing is illegal, I will not cooperate with your court hearing and I will not answer any of your questions.”
The trial was reportedly over in just over two hours, with Zhang Zhan saying in court, “This is the court to judge you, not me.”
She stated that she would not appeal because she “doesn’t want to play in a closed circle of logic.
Zhang Zhan shocked the international community when she was sentenced to four years for simply posting a YouTube video and tweets documenting daily Life under mass segregation in Wuhan. A spokesperson for Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in Brussels the day after the verdict, “The EU demands the immediate release of Zhang Zhan.”
The UN human rights office expressed concern about the outcome of Zhang Zhan’s case on the same day. In a statement, the UN human rights office wrote: “We have continuously referred to Zhang Zhan’s case to the Chinese government during 2020 and emphasized that Zhang Zhan’s case is the best proof of the government’s excessive suppression of freedom of expression during the New Crown epidemic. We have also continuously called on the Chinese (Communist) government to release Zhang Zhan.”
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